Tag Archives: snoozefest

Classic Mondays are posts about whatever classic work of literature I happen to be reading at the time. I shoot for reading five chapters a week (one per weekday), then share what I have read here. Mostly, this is for my own benefit as a “reading log” of sorts,but those who need a little help through these sometimes-intimidating books or want to know more about them before diving in may find these posts useful. But be warned: full disclosure and lots of spoilers ahead!

While I had every intention of reading farther in The Big Fisherman, I only managed to read one chapter last week. And it reminded me why classics can be difficult to slog through sometimes: there’s an insane amount of detail.

And this chapter was sort of a snoozefest.

For example, in chapter 6, we spent several pages inside Simon’s head, listening to his internal monologue, a long litany of every problem in his life. Every.single.problem. And all of said problems had already been explained in the story’s more active points.

But, aside from Simon’s ranting while slumped against a tree, we were able to see Fara’s (or maybe we should say Esther because that is the false name she is using) first interaction with her father, the Tetrarch. The Tetrarch is leaving Galilee for his annual trip to Rome for the winter. It’s the Day of Atonement, a day for forgiveness and repentance and somberness and this guy is having a parade. Ridiculous.

Anyway, Fara is watching the procession and a guard insists she come speak to the Tetrarch. Luckily, the wise Sadducee who had previously shown interest in Fara’s background jumps in and whisks her away, alerting Fara to the fact that David (the Sadducee) suspects something of her.

I wish I had more to report, but that’s really all that happened–hoping I squeeze in more classics-time this week!

Thoreau went to the woods to suck the marrow out of life; here, I hope to drain every drop from the books I read, rather than tossing them aside and saying vaguely, “Oh yes, I read that once,” when they come up in conversation.
I’m a Christ-follower, a wife, a mother, a wannabe novelist (with a complete manuscript, no less!), and—of course—a reader. Stick around, poke around, speak up, and enjoy…and definitely recommend your favorites, because my mile-long to-be-read list could always be longer!